34 | International News BIG TURNOUT | ‘For the Arabs, voting in this election is saying to the right: We are here’ Israelis vote in tight race for for new premier Netanyahu could return to power by virtue of complex proportional representation system JERUSALEM, Tuesday I sraelis voted today in a closefought election pitting the centre left against Prime Minister Ben- jamin Netanyahu who is fighting for his political survival after six years in power. Heading to the polls on a cold, sunny day, voters cast their ballots in an election seen as a referendum on the Netanyahu years, with turnout unusually high among defiant Arab Israelis. The last polls published on Friday indicated a narrow win for the centreleft Zionist Union, with the outcome likely to determine the prospects for new Middle East peace talks and Israel’s troubled relations with its US ally. In a last-ditch appeal to the far-right out the establishment of a Palestinian state if reelected, effectively reneging on his 2009 endorsement of a twostate solution. Some 5.8 million people are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election, with 25 parties in the race for the Knesset’s 120 seats. But even if Mr Netanyahu’s right- wing Likud party does end up losing, he could return to power by virtue of Israel’s complex proportional representation system. With smaller rightwing and reli- gious parties likely to win more seats than the left, experts say Netanyahu has a better chance of piecing together a majority of at least 61 seats needed to win backing for a coalition. PHOTO | AFP An Israeli ultra-orthodox Jewish man and his daughter cast his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem yesterday. Polling stations opened at 7:00 I’d like to see Netanyahu disappear for many, many years’’ ahead of the vote, Netanyahu ruled Ms Shulamit Laron, voter am, with campaigners putting up party banners and bunting outside, as in Jerusalem the first voters shuffled in to place their slips in a blue ballot box. “I’d like to see Netanyahu disap- pear for many, many years. The most important issue is relations with the Palestinians,” said Shulamit Laron, as music blasted from a nearby shop whose walls and door were plastered with pictures of “Bibi” — the burly Israeli leader. In the mixed Jewish-Arab port city of Haifa, around 50 people were lined up outside an Arab school to cast their vote. “This is the first time that I’ve seen so many people here vote,” said Ehab Hamam, a 37-year-old Arab Israeli working in hi-tech. “For the Arabs, voting in this election is saying to the right: We are here,” he said. (AFP) DAILY NATION Wednesday March 18, 2015 BRIEFLY SINGAPORE Singapore founding leader health worsens The health of Singapore’s founding leader Lee Kuan Yew has worsened due to an infection after nearly six weeks in hospital, the government said on Tuesday. The 91-year-old former prime minister — widely credited with transforming Singapore from an economic backwater to one of Asia’s wealthiest economies — has been in Singapore General Hospital since February 5, on life support at the intensive care unit and receiving treatment for severe pneumonia. “Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s condition has worsened due to an infection. He is on antibiotics. The doctors are closely monitoring his condition,” said a statement from the office of his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. (AFP) RIYADH Pakistani among three beheaded in Saudi Saudi Arabia beheaded a Paki- stani and two Saudis on Tuesday, bringing to 48 the number of death sentences carried out this year. That is more than half of the 87 people executed during all of 2014, according to an AFP tally. Reasons for the surge are unclear but human rights group Amnesty International says Saudi Arabia is “well on track” to far exceed previous annual execution records. (AFP) THE NATIONAL TREASURY PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP UNIT DRAFT PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS (PROJECT FACILITATION FUND) REGULATIONS, 2015 The Government has identified Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as an innovative way to finance infrastructure development in the country besides normal government development budget. Accordingly, the Public Private Partnership Act (PPP Act) was effected in February 2013 to provide a legal and institutional framework to guide implementation of PPP Projects in the country. The PPP Act 2013 establishes a PPP Project Facilitation Fund (PFF) to support the PPP programme in the following ways, a. Support contracting authorities in preparation, appraisal and tendering of PPP projects b. Extend viability gap finance to PPP projects c. Meet any contingent liabilities arising from a PPP project d. Support activities of the PPP Unit in the delivery of its mandate In this regard the National Treasury has developed the Draft Public Private Partnerships (Project Facilitation Fund) Regulations, 2015 to provide the institutional, governance and operational framework of this Fund. By way of this general notice, we wish to invite comments from all stakeholders on these Draft PPP (Project Facilitation Fund) Regulations. A full copy text of the regulations can be downloaded from our website, www.pppunit.go.ke. Written submissions should be made through the email address info@pppunit.go.ke/ ntuimising@pppunit.go.ke. Submissions can also be sent through the postal address, PPP Unit, National Treasury, P.O. Box 30007-00100 Nairobi All comments should be received before close of business, 3rd PRINCIPAL SECRETARY NATIONAL TREASURY April 2015.